Phys.org news tagged with:immune systemhttp://phys.org/
en-usPhys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine.Researchers surprise mouth fungus with sugary 'Trojan horse' that hides medicineScientists from the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine will borrow a famous strategy from Greek warfare - the Trojan horse - to fight a fungus that exists in the mouths and skin of nearly half of the world's population.http://phys.org/news/2015-07-mouth-fungus-sugary-trojan-horse.html
Cell & Microbiology Fri, 31 Jul 2015 12:48:54 EDTnews357565716Worm pheromones trigger plant defenses, study findsPlants can sense parasitic roundworms in the soil by picking up on their chemical signals, a team of researchers at the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research (BTI), on the Cornell University campus, has found.http://phys.org/news/2015-07-worm-pheromones-trigger-defenses.html
Biotechnology Fri, 24 Jul 2015 07:40:02 EDTnews356940519With plant extracts, preventing antibiotic resistance in farm animalsThe Mexican company Grupo Nutec manufactured a new product, Plofora, based on plant extracts. It replaces antibiotics for farm animals in order to naturally activate specific genes that strengthen animals' immune systems and simultaneously prevents bacteria from developing resistance to drugs.http://phys.org/news/2015-07-antibiotic-resistance-farm-animals.html
Other Fri, 17 Jul 2015 08:40:01 EDTnews356337162Unearthing cornerstones in root microbiomesLike the tip of an iceberg, a plant sprouting from the soil barely hints at what lies beneath. At the nexus where roots and soil intersect are thriving microbial communities that play important roles in plant health and growth. Understanding how plant yields can be optimized, in part by optimizing their microbial partners, is of fundamental interest to farmers and crop breeders working on developing sustainable crops for the production of food and advanced fuels from plant biomass amidst the pressure exerted by an ever-increasing global population.http://phys.org/news/2015-07-unearthing-cornerstones-root-microbiomes.html
Biotechnology Thu, 16 Jul 2015 14:00:05 EDTnews356264018From sticks to balls: The shape of bacteria is evolving to better adapt to the throatIt's no coincidence that the earthworm's slender shape makes it perfect for weaving through narrow tunnels. Evolution moulds the shapes of living creatures according to the benefits they offer. At the microscopic level, do the various shapes of bacteria also contribute to their survival? Does a spherical bacterium (coccus) have a better chance of infecting its host than its stick-shaped neighbour (bacillus)?http://phys.org/news/2015-07-balls-bacteria-evolving-throat.html
Cell & Microbiology Mon, 13 Jul 2015 13:07:40 EDTnews356011648Helping plants fight off pathogens by enhancing their immune systemsCivilization as it is known today could not have evolved, nor can it survive, without an adequate food supply. – Norman Borlaughttp://phys.org/news/2015-07-pathogens-immune.html
Biotechnology Thu, 09 Jul 2015 09:10:03 EDTnews355648570Stopping Candida in its tracksScientists are one step closer to understanding how a normally harmless fungus changes to become a deadly infectious agent.http://phys.org/news/2015-07-candida-tracks.html
Cell & Microbiology Fri, 03 Jul 2015 01:06:07 EDTnews355104360Researcher uses microscale technology to isolate rare cellsIn a blood sample taken from a cancer patient, there may be a single circulating tumor cell among hundreds of thousands of other cells. These tumor cells can provide valuable information about how cancer progresses, and could help doctors decide how to treat individual patients, but they are extremely difficult to find.http://phys.org/news/2015-06-microscale-technology-isolate-rare-cells.html
Biochemistry Wed, 17 Jun 2015 08:33:04 EDTnews353748772Human cell death captured for first timeScientists based at the La Trobe Institute of Molecular Science have discovered that some molecules which are central to the body's defence and immune system are ejected from inside the decomposing cell to form long beaded strings that can break off and are distributed through the body.http://phys.org/news/2015-06-human-cell-death-captured.html
Cell & Microbiology Tue, 16 Jun 2015 06:51:47 EDTnews353656272Toothed whales have survived millions of years without key antiviral proteinsResearchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have determined that toothed whales lack functional Mx genes—a surprising discovery, since all 56 other sequenced mammals in the study possess these genes to fight off viruses like HIV, measles and flu.http://phys.org/news/2015-06-toothed-whales-survived-millions-years.html
Evolution Mon, 15 Jun 2015 15:00:07 EDTnews353587288Arabidopsis uses molecular decoy to trick pathogensIn the animal kingdom, predators use a full range of strategies, such as camouflage, speed and optical illusions, to catch their prey. Meanwhile, prey species resort to the same tactics to escape from their predators. Such tricks are also used at the molecular level, as discovered by researchers from the CNRS, INRA, CEA and INSERM in one of the most devastating bacterial plant pathogens in the world, which bypasses plant cell defenses by preventing an immune signaling from being triggered. Even more surprising is the fact that plant cells have developed a receptor incorporating a decoy intended to catch the invader in its own trap. This work, which has a wealth of applications, was published May 21, 2015 in the journal Cell.http://phys.org/news/2015-06-arabidopsis-molecular-decoy-pathogens.html
Biotechnology Mon, 08 Jun 2015 05:48:58 EDTnews352961330Startup offers antibiotic alternative to animal producersA University of Wisconsin-Madison animal scientist has developed an antibiotic-free method to protect animals raised for food against common infections.http://phys.org/news/2015-06-startup-antibiotic-alternative-animal.html
Other Mon, 01 Jun 2015 16:57:11 EDTnews352396397Better mouse model enables colon cancer researchEvery day, it seems, someone in some lab is "curing cancer." Well, it's easy to kill cancer cells in a lab, but in a human, it's a lot more complicated, which is why nearly all cancer drugs fail clinical trials.http://phys.org/news/2015-05-mouse-enables-colon-cancer.html
Biotechnology Wed, 27 May 2015 06:19:09 EDTnews351926336Herpes virus hijackersThe virus responsible for the common cold sore hijacks the machinery within our cells, causing them to break down and help shield the virus from our immune system, researchers from the University of Cambridge and colleagues in Germany have discovered.http://phys.org/news/2015-05-herpes-virus-hijackers.html
Cell & Microbiology Fri, 22 May 2015 09:18:52 EDTnews351505124Designing better medical implantsBiomedical devices that can be implanted in the body for drug delivery, tissue engineering, or sensing can help improve treatment for many diseases. However, such devices are often susceptible to attack by the immune system, which can render them useless.http://phys.org/news/2015-05-medical-implants.html
Materials Science Mon, 18 May 2015 12:00:35 EDTnews351169226Viruses: You've heard the bad—here's the good"The word, virus, connotes morbidity and mortality, but that bad reputation is not universally deserved," said Marilyn Roossinck, PhD, Professor of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology and Biology at the Pennsylvania State University, University Park. "Viruses, like bacteria, can be important beneficial microbes in human health and in agriculture," she said. Her review of the current literature on beneficial viruses appeared ahead of print April 24 in the Journal of Virology, which is published by the American Society for Microbiology.http://phys.org/news/2015-04-viruses-youve-heard-badhere-good.html
Cell & Microbiology Thu, 30 Apr 2015 17:55:27 EDTnews349635320Key element in bacterial immune system discoveredA University of Otago scientist is a member of an international research team that has made an important discovery about the workings of a bacterial immune system. The finding could lead to the development of tailor-made RNA-editing tools.http://phys.org/news/2015-04-key-element-bacterial-immune.html
Cell & Microbiology Mon, 20 Apr 2015 07:40:02 EDTnews348732318Nanoparticles at specific temperature stimulate antitumor responseSeeking a way to stimulate antitumor responses via the immune system, Steven Fiering, PhD, of Norris Cotton Cancer Center at Dartmouth, has identified the precise temperature that results in a distinct body-wide antitumor immune response that resists metastatic disease. Fiering's team published the research in the paper "Local Hyperthermia Treatment of Tumors Induces CD8+ T Cell-Mediated Resistance Against Distal and Secondary Tumors," which appeared in Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine.http://phys.org/news/2015-04-nanoparticles-specific-temperature-antitumor-response.html
Bio & Medicine Tue, 14 Apr 2015 17:13:00 EDTnews348250372How bacterial cell recognizes its own DNAIt may come as a bit of a surprise to learn that bacteria have an immune system - in their case to fight off invasive viruses called phages. And like any immune system - from single-celled to human - the first challenge of the bacterial immune system is to detect the difference between "foreign" and "self." This is far from simple, as viruses, bacteria and all other living things are made of DNA and proteins. A group of researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science and Tel Aviv University has now revealed exactly how bacteria do this. Their results were published online today in Nature.http://phys.org/news/2015-04-bacterial-cell-dna.html
Cell & Microbiology Mon, 13 Apr 2015 11:40:54 EDTnews348144044'Space-age' research looks to provide new human health insightsImagine if all of your physiological changes were hyper accelerated so that you passed through life cycles in weeks as opposed to decades. You'd be able to grow a beard overnight or your hair might begin graying in a matter of days or maybe menopause would come knocking by next weekend. This may seem like a far stretch from reality, but spaceflight causes significant physiological changes including an accelerated loss of muscle and bone density, and immune system dysfunction that parallel the effects of natural aging here on Earth. This makes the International Space Station (ISS) is an ideal place for scientists to conduct research on aging at a "space-aged" pace.http://phys.org/news/2015-04-space-age-human-health-insights.html
Space Exploration Fri, 10 Apr 2015 15:35:36 EDTnews347898927Research shows blood cells generate neurons in crayfishA new study by Barbara Beltz, the Allene Lummis Russell Professor of Neuroscience at Wellesley College, and Irene Söderhäll of Uppsala University, Sweden, published in the August 11 issue of the journal Developmental Cell, demonstrates that the immune system can produce cells with stem cell properties, using crayfish as a model system. These cells can, in turn, create neurons in the adult animal. The flexibility of immune cells in producing neurons in adult animals raises the possibility of the presence of similar types of plasticity in other animals.http://phys.org/news/2015-04-blood-cells-neurons-crayfish.html
Cell & Microbiology Thu, 09 Apr 2015 09:00:02 EDTnews347787910Researchers report on CRISPR-cas surveillance complex that targets RNAA great deal of public attention in the past couple of years has been showered on complexes of bacterial proteins known as "CRISPR-Cas" for their potential use as a tool for editing DNA. Now, researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) are reporting that CRISPR-Cas complexes could also serve as an engineering tool for RNA, the molecule that translates DNA's genetic instructions into the production of proteins.http://phys.org/news/2015-04-crispr-cas-surveillance-complex-rna.html
Cell & Microbiology Wed, 08 Apr 2015 08:20:01 EDTnews347696874Rice can 'borrow' stronger immunity from other plant species, study showsLike most other plants, rice is well equipped with an effective immune system that enables it to detect and fend off disease-causing microbes. But that built-in immunity can be further boosted when the rice plant receives a receptor protein from a completely different plant species, suggests a new study led by UC Davis plant-disease experts.http://phys.org/news/2015-04-rice-stronger-immunity-species.html
Biotechnology Fri, 03 Apr 2015 12:52:04 EDTnews347284316Ants' intruder defense strategy could lead to better email spam filters, biologist findsTo kill spam, email filters might need to act a bit more like ants.http://phys.org/news/2015-04-ants-intruder-defense-strategy-email.html
Plants & Animals Thu, 02 Apr 2015 07:03:57 EDTnews347177002To survive, a parasite mixes and matches its disguises, study suggestsOrchestrated costume changes make it possible for certain nasty microbes to outsmart the immune system, which would otherwise recognize them by the telltale proteins they wear. By taking the first detailed look at how one such parasite periodically assumes a new protein disguise during a long-term infection, new research at Rockefeller University challenges many assumptions about one of the best-known examples of this strategy, called antigenic variation, in the parasite that causes African sleeping sickness.http://phys.org/news/2015-03-survive-parasite-disguises.html
Cell & Microbiology Thu, 26 Mar 2015 14:00:15 EDTnews346596317Experiment reveals diet, immunity and gene links in fruit flyA scientific finding in fruit flies on the interplay of genes, nutrition and immunity provides insights that may one day inform personalized medicine.http://phys.org/news/2015-03-reveals-diet-immunity-gene-links.html
Biotechnology Thu, 26 Mar 2015 07:54:23 EDTnews346575251Spherical nucleic acids set stage for new paradigm in drug developmentA research team led by Northwestern University nanomedicine expert Chad A. Mirkin and Sergei Gryaznov of AuraSense Therapeutics is the first to show spherical nucleic acids (SNAs) can be used as potent drugs to effectively train the immune system to fight disease, by either boosting or dampening the immune response. The initial treatment triggers a cell-specific immune response all over the body.http://phys.org/news/2015-03-spherical-nucleic-acids-stage-paradigm.html
Biochemistry Mon, 16 Mar 2015 15:00:10 EDTnews345725163Plants detect bacterial endotoxin in similar process to mammalsSimilar to humans and animals, plants possess an innate immune system that protects them from invading pathogens. Molecular structures that only occur in pathogens enable their recognition and trigger the immune response. Lipopolysaccharide (endotoxin) is one such substance, occurring in the outer membrane of certain bacteria. A team of scientists from Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) and the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB) in Halle has now described the first endotoxin immunosensor in plants.http://phys.org/news/2015-03-bacterial-endotoxin-similar-mammals.html
Biotechnology Tue, 03 Mar 2015 10:24:54 EDTnews344600688Link identified between virus recognition, destruction in bacterial immune systemAn immune system that helps bacteria combat viruses is yielding unlikely results such as the ability to edit genome sequences and potentially correct mutations that cause human disease.http://phys.org/news/2015-03-link-virus-recognition-destruction-bacterial.html
Cell & Microbiology Mon, 02 Mar 2015 15:23:39 EDTnews344532019Virus-cutting enzyme helps bacteria remember a threatBacteria may not have brains, but they do have memories, at least when it comes to viruses that attack them. Many bacteria have a molecular immune system which allows these microbes to capture and retain pieces of viral DNA that they have encountered in the past, in order to recognize and destroy it when it shows up again.http://phys.org/news/2015-02-virus-cutting-enzyme-bacteria-threat.html
Cell & Microbiology Fri, 20 Feb 2015 12:08:02 EDTnews343656474